Thanks for writing this and so glad you're enjoying it! There are always pro-vampire or pro-human sentiments, but Ronan's character seems to inspire the most divergent views, which I'm enjoying. We all view characters through the prisms of our own experiences and if I've managed to write these characters with enough depth that people are drawing different conclusions, I feel like that's a success! I know who he is, but it's a lot of fun for me to see how others are interpreting what they've seen so far. Not saying you're wrong or right (or that there is a wrong or right; people are complicated), but I love reading it. Thank you for sharing!
Chapter 13 will go public in about a week, which is almost entirely a 1-on-1 with Luke Mayhew. I wonder if it'll change any views!
Viewing post in Bound by Night - A Visual Novel comments
Just finished Chapter 13!
So, character-wise, assuming that everything Luke said, for every question Alex asked, he told the truth, it would seem he's quite the tragic guy. But of course, Mayhew knows how to twist the truth - he's an Elder. So it's possible it's a half-truth, meant to allay Alex's curiosity, much like Alex can only half-promise to work with Mayhew.
As a person, when it comes to 'bad things for the right reasons,' in real life, these things are pretty cut and dry for me. Luke speaks of not wanting to become a monster, and even admits that he's always on the edge. He's hot, and charming, and tragic, which means he's perfect for a lot of people, but I wouldn't say he's for me.
Now as characters, the layers you added in this chapter are wonderful, for Ronan and for Mayhew. Every answer was well-written, and for that, developer, I commend you. It's difficult to write characters like Mayhew, and even more difficult to make them convincing. I genuinely believe that Mayhew believes he's doing what's best, and I can see how he'd get people on his side - how he'd get us, the player on his side. You've definitely moved the needle a little bit on my part, and I am genuinely loving the conflict I'm feeling when I'm playing through his scenes.
I'm very happy to hear all of that, actually! Honestly what's tricky is letting people have the option of drawing both conclusions: that he's evil and can't be trusted, or they would probably do the same in his shoes so he's not that bad. It's been a lot of fun reading the range of reactions and they're all fair. One of the themes I want to explore with BBN is how we choose to respond to people even when we KNOW we're being manipulated...but maybe we want to be.